Likewise, nobody cares whether or not their top draft pick is #4 or #7. It's all basically the same.

Yeah, I don't understand this obsession with trying to get the best draft pick possible. This isn't basketball or football. The baseball draft is a complete crapshoot.

Mike Trout, the best young player in the game IMO, was selected 25th overall his draft year. Chris Sale, the best young player on our club, was selected 13th overall in 2010. You don't have to be drafting in the top 10 to get a good player, and even if the Sox get the No. 1 overall pick, they are hardly guaranteed of getting a future All-Star. In addition to scouting and development, there's a degree of luck involved.

I also don't understand this fear that a late-season winning streak will cause Hahn to deviate from his plan. First of all, I don't think a late-season winning streak is forthcoming. The team is bad. You see it. I see it. So does the front office. Secondly, the die is cast. They've already traded Peavy, and I'm sure they'll try to make a move with Rios and/or Dunn -- either before Sept. 1 or during the offseason. They would not have traded Jake if they were thinking of bringing the band back for one more run next year. That isn't going to happen.

As for the remaining 50 games of this season, I'm with the OP. Win as many as you can and try to get out of last place. Other than individual pursuits, there isn't a lot for the guys on the Sox roster to play for right now. They already know they aren't going to the playoffs. One of the things they can do to keep themselves mentally engaged in the season is say, "Hey, let's try to catch the team in front of us." Does it mean anything? Not really, but setting a goal like that is a way to keep guys playing hard at the end of a lost season. I'm all for that. I love to win and hate to lose. I have no patience for people who root against their own team to secure a better draft pick. Maybe that's why I'm not a big NFL or NBA fan. That mentality sucks, IMO. It's especially fruitless to do that when you know a higher draft pick doesn't guarantee a damn thing.